Dry carotenoid-oil powder and process for making same

ABSTRACT

A dry powder that contains carotenoids produced by grinding a mixture of carotenoids and oil to reduce the carotenoid particle size, emulsifying the mixture with an encapsulating mixture, and drying the emulsification. The encapsulating mixture includes a starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and an anti-oxidant. The resulting water-dispersible powder contains a high concentration of carotenoids, yet is protected from oxidation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carotenoid compounds, and moreparticularly to carotenoid-oil dispersions encapsulated withinprotective starch encasements.

Carotenoids are a class of organic pigments that are often used toprovide safe coloration of food. Carotenoids include carotenes (e.g.,beta-carotene and lycopene), which are C₄₀ carotenoids containing 11 orfewer conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, and xanthophylls (e.g.,lutein and astaxanthin), which are oxygen-containing carotenoids.Carotenoids are moderately soluble in oil and are insoluble in water.

In addition to the use of carotenoids as pigments, some carotenoids alsohave nutritional value. For example, beta-carotene is widely used as avitamin A precursor (i.e., provitamin A) since beta-carotene ismetabolically oxidized to vitamin A (retinol) in most animals.

One problem associated with carotenoids is their susceptibility tooxidation. For example, beta-carotene will react with oxygen from theair, resulting in an inactive, colorless oxidation product. Thus, overtime, a carotenoid that is exposed to air without the protection ofencapsulation and/or antioxidants will lose its pigmentation andnutritional attributes.

Carotenoids are often supplied in oil dispersions rather than incrystalline form in order to "stabilize" the carotenoids, that is,reduce the amount of the degradation caused by exposure to oxygen, heat,or light. Further, carotenoids supplied in an oil dispersion are lesssusceptible to damage from handling during transportation. Additionally,it is believed that carotenoids in an oil dispersion are more readilyabsorbed or ingested, and thus have better nutritional attributes.

It is known that liquid and solid chemical agents that are "sensitive"(i.e., subject to degradation when exposed to external elements) can beprotected by encapsulating them within a dry starch matrix. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,160 to Schoch et al teaches the protection of agents(e.g., insecticides, flavoring oils, fatty acids, medicinals, andbeta-carotene) from physical and chemical deterioration by encapsulatingthe agent within a starch matrix. In that method, a liquid or solidagent is gradually added with vigorous agitation, which may includeagitation by use of a mechanical emulsifier or pressure homogenizer, toan aqueous starch solution, which may contain plasticizers such asglucose syrup. The resulting emulsion or dispersion is dried usingmethods such as spray-drying. If a solid agent is to be protected, itmay be "powdered" prior to adding it to the starch solution.

Other examples of starch encapsulation of sensitive agents are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,312 to Merritt (teaching the protection ofvitamins and flavor agents from oxidation or sunlight deterioration byspray-drying a mixture of the agent and starch mixture to form rod-likeparticles) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,827,452 to Schlenk et al (teaching theuse of a starch matrix to protect an agent such as vitamin A acetatefrom oxidation).

Several variations of the dry starch-coating method have been used toprotect sensitive agents, such as flavorings, oils, and vitamins, fromsunlight and oxygen. For example, a starch/agent mixture can bepartially dried and then ground into a powder (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,687to Sair et al and 4,911,952 to Doane et al), or the starch/agent mixturecan be quenched in oil and then dehydrated to form beadlets (U.S. Pat.No. 3,666,557 to Jensen et al).

While it is important to encapsulate a carotenoid dispersion with asufficient amount of coating to protect the carotenoids fromdegradation, it is advantageous to minimize the amount of coatingrelative to the amount of carotenoid in order to minimize the amount ofinactive ingredients that merely add to the bulk of a product containingthe encapsulated carotenoid-oil dispersion. For example, if a dry-powdercarotenoid dispersion is to be used in a tablet, a bulky coating ofunnecessary ingredients can interfere with the tableting process. If thedry-powder carotenoid is to be used in a powdered drink mix, a bulkycoating of unnecessary ingredients can needlessly increase the volumeand weight of the drink mix. Thus, it is preferable to maximize the"potency" (i.e., the concentration of carotenoid) of the encapsulatedcarotenoid-oil dispersion in order to limit the amount of inactiveingredients.

The art discloses methods of increasing the stability of dry-powdercarotenoid products. However, the potency of the carotenoid products isrelatively low; and stability is achieved by utilizing synthetic (i.e.,not produced by nature) ingredients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned problems are overcome in the present inventioncomprising a process for making a dry carotenoid-oil powder that is bothstable and highly potent. More specifically, an oil dispersioncontaining carotenoid particles is ground or milled so that the averagediameter of the undissolved carotenoid particles within the dispersionare less than about one micron. An encapsulating mixture is formed bydissolving a starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and an antioxidant inwater. The milled carotenoid-oil dispersion is then emulsified with theencapsulating mixture. Finally, the resulting emulsion is dried toproduce a powder having the carotenoid-oil dispersion encapsulatedwithin a protective starch matrix.

The water-dispersible, dry carotenoid-oil powders produced by theprocess of the present invention have high potencies while maintaininggood resistance to oxidation. Further, the powders can be producedutilizing only natural ingredients.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention willbe more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the method steps of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a method of producing a high-potency,water-dispersible, dry carotenoid-oil powder that resists degradationcaused by exposure to oxygen. Referring to FIG. 1, the high potency(i.e., concentration) of carotenoid in the final product requires thestep 1 of forming a carotenoid-oil dispersion and the step 2 of grindingor milling the carotenoid-oil dispersion to reduce the size of thecarotenoid particles. Protection of the carotenoid particles fromoxidation requires the step 3 of preparing an encapsulating mixture, thestep 4 of emulsifying the ground carotenoid-oil dispersion within theencapsulating mixture, and the step 5 of drying the resulting emulsionmixture. Consequently, the carotenoid particles within the oil dropletsare encased within a protective, water-soluble coating.

I. Carotenoid-Oil Dispersion

Turning to FIG. 1 step 1, to produce a high-potency product, it isadvantageous to use as a raw material feedstock a carotenoid-oildispersion (i.e., a crystalline slurry) that contains a high percentageof carotenoid. If a product manufactured from only natural ingredientsis desired (as in the present invention), then the carotenoid-oildispersion must contain natural components, that is, components found inor produced by living things. One suitable carotenoid-oil dispersionthat contains only natural ingredients is that sold under the trademarkPROVATENE®, which is a beta-carotene in oil mixture manufactured by theNutrilite Division of Amway Corporation and available in concentrationsof up to 3.5 percent beta-carotene. The PROVATENE® product is avegetable extract of Dunaliella algae, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.Other similar carotenoid-oil dispersions are available from BetateneLtd., a subsidiary of Henkel, Inc., and Western Biotechnology Ltd., anAustralian company. Other natural carotenoid-oil dispersions areavailable, as is known in the art.

Preferably, the carotenoid-oil dispersion is further concentrated toincrease the percentage of carotenoids. For example, the PROVATENE®product is centrifuged to concentrate the beta-carotene crystals in oneportion of the oil-dispersion to about 5 percent beta-carotene. Apreferred concentrated carotenoid-oil dispersion is sold under thetrademark PROVATENOL® by Koyo Mercantile of Japan. This dispersion isconcentrated PROVATENE® product, produced using a solvent extractionprocess. The PROVATENOL® product contains about 30 weight percentbeta-carotene in oil.

Turning to FIG. 1 step 2, the carotenoid crystals present in thecarotenoid-oil dispersion are ground to reduce the size of theseparticles, and to produce a milled carotenoid-oil dispersion. Thecarotenoid particles in the milled carotenoid-oil dispersion must besmall enough to fit within the approximately one micron average diameteroil droplets that form in an emulsion of the milled carotenoid-oildispersion and the encapsulating mixture (discussed below). To reducethe size of the carotenoid particles within the carotenoid-oildispersion to below about one micron average diameter, the mixture isground, preferably using a ball mill. Generally, it is easier to achievethe small particle size needed for the present invention by grindingconcentrated carotenoid-oil dispersions, because a higher particlepopulation enhances the grinding effects and thus reduces the number oflarge particles. A suitable ball mill is model number LMJ 05 sold byNetzsch, Inc. Preferably, the amount of time between milling thecarotenoid-oil dispersion and using the milled mixture as a componentfor the present invention is minimized to avoid recrystallization (i.e.,reforming into larger particles) of the carotenoid particles.

II. Encapsulating Mixture

Referring to FIG. 1 step 3, an encapsulating mixture is formed by mixinga starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and an antioxidant in water. Thestarch encapsulating agent is a starch or starch/additive mixturesuitable to encapsulate flavors, fats, oils, or vitamins, as is known inthe art. Preferably, the starch encapsulating agent is a modified foodstarch encapsulating agent. Several suppliers have proprietaryformulations for their commercially available modified food starchencapsulating agents. One such modified food starch encapsulating agentfound to be suitable in the present invention as an encapsulating agentis N-LOK® starch encapsulating agent, available from National Starch andChemical Corporation. Generally, N-LOK® starch encapsulating agent is amodified food starch with corn syrup solids added. The encapsulatingmixture should contain at most about 91 weight percent starchencapsulating agent on a dry basis, and preferably at most about 84weight percent starch encapsulating agent on a dry basis.

The sugar used in the encapsulating mixture is a sugar suitable tocontribute to the solubility of the encapsulating coating when thecarotenoid-oil powder is exposed to water, as is known in the art. It isbelieved that the sugar contributes to the formation of an encapsulatingcoating by forming a glass-like crystalline structure providing goodoxidative protection. Suitable sugars are sucrose and fructose. Othersugars known in the art are also suitable. The encapsulating mixtureshould contain at least about 5 weight percent sugar on a dry basis, andpreferably at least about 10 weight percent sugar on a dry basis.

The antioxidant used in the encapsulating mixture is a food-gradeantioxidant suitable to protect carotenoids from degradation, whilesurviving the processing conditions of the present invention, as isknown in the art. If a final product manufactured from only naturalingredients is desired, then only natural antioxidants are used. Thepresently preferred antioxidant is sodium ascorbate and vitamin Eacetate. Preferably, vitamin E acetate is used in combination with thesodium ascorbate; however, some countries do not permit vitamin Eacetate as a food additive.

In order to reduce the cost of the final dry powder, it is desirable toreduce the antioxidant to the amount necessary to maintain goodstability (i.e., oxidation resistance) in the final dry product. Theencapsulating mixture should contain at least about 4 weight percentantioxidant on a dry basis, and preferably at least about 6 weightpercent antioxidant on a dry basis.

The starch encapsulating agent, sugar, and antioxidants are dissolved inwater, preferably deionized water, to form the encapsulating mixture.Preferably, the encapsulating mixture contains about 40 weight percenttotal solids and about 60 weight percent water. Also preferably, thesugar is dissolved in the water prior to dissolving the otheringredients.

III. Emulsion and Drying

Referring to FIG. 1 step 4, after preparation of the milledcarotenoid-oil dispersion and the encapsulating mixture, these twocomponents are blended to form a coarse emulsion. To increase thepotency of the final product, the ratio of encapsulating mixture tomilled carotenoid-oil dispersion preferably is reduced when forming thecoarse emulsion to the point at which the stability of the final productbecomes unacceptable. A final product having good stability is producedwhen the coarse emulsion has a weight ratio of the total solids of theencapsulating mixture to the total solids of the milled carotenoid-oildispersion of about 4-to-1. A coarse emulsion having a ratio of 3-to-1produces a final dry powder having more surface oil than a product madeusing a 4-to-1 ratio. The additional surface oil causes the final dryproduct to be sticky, and thus to clump or to stick to the sides of acontainer. Further, this stickiness causes problems during the dryingstep of the process of this invention. A coarse emulsion having a ratioof 2-to-1 produces a final product with poor stability. Therefore, theratio of about 4-to-1 is preferred.

The coarse emulsion is then further emulsified by using emulsifying orhomogenizing equipment known in the art. The coarse emulsion should beemulsified to produce a visually stable emulsion, preferably without anyfree-floating carotenoid crystals. Preferably, a high-pressureemulsifier or homogenizer is used. A suitable emulsifier for the methodof the present invention is a model number M-110F or M210 Microfluidizerhigh-pressure homogenizer available from Microfluidics. The coarseemulsion is passed through the high-pressure emulsifier at a pressure ofbetween 11,000 to 12,000 p.s.i.g.

Referring to FIG. 1 step 5, the emulsion is dried to produce a powder,using techniques that are known in the art. Preferably, the emulsion isspray-dried. Care should be taken so that the carotenoids within theemulsion are not degraded by excess heat.

It is believed that one reason the dry carotenoid-oil powder producedusing the method of the present invention has high potency, whileretaining good resistance to oxidation, is because the carotenoidparticles are ground small enough to be suspended (i.e., "fit") withinthe tiny oil droplets formed during the emulsification step. Once theoil droplets are dispersed throughout the encapsulating mixture byemulsification, and the resulting emulsion is dried, the oil droplets,and thus the suspended carotenoid particles, are encased within aprotective coating.

Regardless of the actual chemical mechanism, the dry, water-dispersiblecarotenoid-oil powders formed using the method of the present inventionhave high potencies (i.e., carotenoid concentrations), while maintaininggood resistance to oxidation. Further, the resistance to oxidativedegradation can be achieved in a final product containing only naturalingredients. While the discussion of the present invention has beendirected to carotenoids, it is believed that the process would be usefulto increase the potency of other compounds that can be dispersed withinan oil, and whose stability is enhanced by a protective starchencasement.

The following examples are presented for the purpose of furtherillustrating and explaining the present invention and are not to betaken as limiting in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all partsand percentages are by weight.

EXAMPLE I

A one kilogram sample of the PROVATENOL product (30 percentbeta-carotene-oil dispersion from Koyo Mercantile in Japan, assayed atabout 25 percent beta-carotene) was ball-milled utilizing a Netzsch ballmill model number LMJ O5, under the following operating conditions:

Recirculation Time: 90 minutes

Grinding Media: 0.6 mm Yttrium Stabilized Zirconium Oxide

Media Charge: 90% of chamber volume

Agitator Speed: 2650 RPM

Residence Time: 29 minutes

The milling produced beta-carotene particles with the attributes shownin Table I.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                        Percentage of Particles                                                                        Diameter (microns)                                           ______________________________________                                        99               less than 1.61                                               50               less than 0.50                                               Mean Volume Diameter                                                                           0.57                                                         ______________________________________                                    

An encapsulating mixture was formed by mixing the following componentsin the amount noted: 33.6 percent N-LOK® starch encapsulating agent, 4percent fructose, 1.6 percent sodium ascorbate, 0.8 percent vitamin Eacetate (50 percent strength), and 60 percent deionized water. (On a drybasis, these percentages are 84 percent N-LOK® starch encapsulatingagent, 10 percent fructose, 4 percent sodium ascorbate, and 2 percentvitamin E acetate (50 percent strength).) After these components weredissolved to form the encapsulating mixture, an amount of the milledPROVATENOL product was added to the encapsulating mixture so that ratioof the weight of the total solids of the encapsulating mixture to thetotal solids of the milled PROVATENOL product was about 4-to-1. Thismixture was shaken to form a coarse emulsion. The coarse emulsion wasthen further emulsified by running the coarse emulsion through twopasses in an M-110F Microfluidizer available from Microfluidics,operating at a pressure of 12,000 p.s.i.g. The emulsion appearedvisually stable; any beta-carotene particles visible before thehigh-pressure emulsification disappeared after the processing.

The emulsion was then dried using an APV Pilot Spray Dryer. The inlettemperature was 302° F., which when stabilized, produced an exittemperature of about 235° F. The run produced a dry-powder that wasassayed as having a potency (i.e., beta-carotene content) of 4.4percent.

The stability of the dry-powder product was tested by tightly sealingthe powder in a plastic jar, and placing the jar in a chamber maintainedat 38.5° C. and 75 percent relative humidity for 13 weeks. At the end ofthis period, the potency of the product was 3.5 percent, which is about80 percent of the original potency. Thirteen weeks under the conditionsof this test are believed to roughly predict the stability performanceof a carotenoid dry-powder formulation in two years at room temperature.

EXAMPLE II

A one kilogram sample of Lyc-O-Pen product (5 percent lycopene oleoresinmanufactured by LycoRed Natural Products Industries, Ltd. in Israel) wasball-milled utilizing a Netzsch ball mill model number LMJ O5, under thefollowing operating conditions:

Recirculation Time: 60 minutes

Grinding Media: 0.4 mm Yttrium Stabilized Zirconium Oxide

Media Charge: 90% of chamber volume

Agitator Speed: 2600 RPM

Residence Time: 23 Minutes

Microscopic examination showed the milled lycopeneoil dispersion withmost particles having a diameter of about one micron, and with very fewparticles having a diameter larger than 2 to 3 microns.

An encapsulating mixture was formed using 33.6 percent N-LOK® starchencapsulating agent, 4 percent fructose, 1.6 percent sodium ascorbate,0.8 percent vitamin E acetate (50 percent strength), and 60 percentdeionized water. (On a dry basis, these percentages are 84 percentN-LOK® starch encapsulating agent, 10 percent fructose, 4 percent sodiumascorbate, and 2 percent vitamin E acetate (50 percent strength).) Afterthese components were dissolved to form the encapsulating mixture, anamount of milled Lyc-O-Pen was added to the encapsulating mixture sothat ratio of the weight of the total solids of the encapsulatingmixture to the total solids of the milled Lyc-O-Pen was about 4-to-1.This mixture was shaken to form a coarse emulsion. The coarse emulsionwas then further emulsified by running the coarse emulsion through twopasses in an M-110F Microfluidizer available from Microfluidics,operating at a pressure of 11,000 p.s.i.g.

The emulsion was then dried on an APV Pilot Spray Dryer. The inlettemperature was 304° F., which when stabilized, produced an exittemperature of about 234° F., for a flow rate of 30 to 32milliliters/minute. The run produced a dry-powder that was assayed ashaving a lycopene content of about 0.90 percent.

The stability of the dry-powder product was tested by placing the powderin open test tubes, and placing the test tubes in a forced air oven at atemperature of 55° C. for 14 days. At the end of this period, thepotency of the product was 0.73 percent, about 81 percent of theoriginal potency. Fourteen days under the conditions of this test arebelieved to roughly predict the stability performance of a carotenoiddry-powder formulation in the 13-week testing conditions described inExample I.

Example III

Beta-carotene crystals were mixed into a PROVATENE® carotenoid-oildispersion having 2.15 percent beta-carotene, to produce a PROVATENE®mixture containing 2.55 percent beta-carotene. This mixture wasball-milled utilizing a Netzsch ball mill model number LMJ O5, under thefollowing operating conditions:

Recirculation Time: 120 minutes

Grinding Media: 0.6 mm Yttrium Stabilized Zirconium Oxide

Media Charge: 90% of chamber volume

Agitator Speed: 2800 RPM

Residence Time: 13.5 minutes

The milling produced beta-carotene particles with the attributes shownin Table II.

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                        Percentage of Particles                                                                        Diameter (microns)                                           ______________________________________                                        99               less than 0.43                                               50               less than 0.26                                               Mean Volume Diameter                                                                           0.27                                                         ______________________________________                                    

Two encapsulating mixtures were formed. Encapsulating Mixture Acontained 86 percent N-LOK® starch encapsulating agent, 10 percentfructose, and 4 percent sodium ascorbate, calculated on a dry basis.Encapsulating Mixture B contained 84 percent N-LOK® starch encapsulatingagent, 10 percent fructose, 4 percent sodium ascorbate, and 2 percentvitamin E acetate (50 percent strength), calculated on a dry basis.Water was added to achieve a final level of 40 percent solids. Whendissolving these components in water to form Encapsulating Mixtures Aand B, the sugar was dissolved in the water first. An amount of milledPROVATENE carotenoid-oil dispersion was added to both EncapsulatingMixture A and B so that the ratio of the weight of the total solids ofthe encapsulating mixture to the total solids of the milled PROVATENEcarotenoid-oil dispersion was about 4-to-1. These mixtures were shakento form a coarse emulsion, and then passed through a French Press (SLMInstruments French Pressure Cell, Model FA078) maintaining 10,000 to11,000 p.s.i.g. to make Final Emulsions A and B. Emulsions A and B werethen dried using a Buchi 190 Mini Spray Dryer. The inlet temperature was308° F., the exit temperature was 226° F., and the sample flow rate was4 milliliters per minute. The run produced "A" and "B" dry powders thatwere both assayed as having a beta-carotene content of about 0.5percent.

The stability of the A and B dry powders was tested by placing thepowders in open test tubes, and placing the test tubes in a forced airoven at a temperature of 55° C. for 15 days. At the end of this period,the potency of the A dry powder was about 84 percent of its originalpotency, and the potency of the B dry powder was about 88 percent of itsoriginal potency.

The above descriptions are those of preferred embodiments of theinvention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departingfrom the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in theclaims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles ofpatent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A process for producinga dry, powder form of a carotenoid comprising the steps of:dispersing acarotenoid in an oil to make a carotenoid-oil dispersion; grinding thecarotenoid-oil dispersion to produce a milled carotenoid-oil dispersion;dissolving a starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and an antioxidant inwater to form an encapsulating mixture; blending the milledcarotenoid-oil dispersion and the encapsulating mixture to form anemulsion; and drying the emulsion to produce a powder, whereby theencapsulating mixture encases the milled carotenoid-oil dispersion. 2.The process of claim 1 wherein said grinding step includes grinding thecarotenoid to an average diameter of less than about one micron.
 3. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein the carotenoid particles have an averagediameter of less than about 0.6 micron, and 99 percent of the carotenoidparticles have diameters less than about 1.6 microns.
 4. The process ofclaim 1 wherein the powder contains at least about 4.4 weight percentcarotenoid.
 5. The process of claim 1 wherein the carotenoid is selectedfrom the group consisting of beta-carotene and lycopene.
 6. The processof claim 1 wherein the blending step includes using a high-pressurehomogenizer to create the emulsion.
 7. The process of claim 1 whereinthe grinding step includes using a ball mill.
 8. The process of claim 1wherein the drying step includes using a spray dryer.
 9. The process ofclaim 1 wherein the starch encapsulating agent is a modified food starchencapsulating agent.
 10. The process of claim 1 wherein the sugar isselected from the group consisting of sucrose, fructose, and mixturesthereof.
 11. The process of claim 1 wherein the encapsulating mixturecontains at least about 5 weight percent sugar on a dry basis.
 12. Theprocess of claim 1 wherein the carotenoid-oil dispersion consistsessentially of components selected from the group consisting ofcomponents found in living organisms and components produced by livingorganisms.
 13. The process of claim 1 wherein the antioxidant is anatural antioxidant.
 14. The process of claim 1 wherein the powderconsists essentially of ingredients selected from the group consistingof components found in living organisms and components produced byliving organisms.
 15. The process of claim 1 wherein the antioxidant isselected from the group consisting of sodium ascorbate, vitamin Eacetate, and mixtures thereof.
 16. The process of claim 1 wherein theencapsulating mixture contains at least about 4 weight percentantioxidant on a dry basis.
 17. The process of claim 1 wherein theencapsulating mixture comprises about 40 weight percent solids and about60 weight percent water.
 18. The process of claim 1 wherein theencapsulating mixture comprises about 84 weight percent modified foodstarch encapsulating agent, about 10 weight percent sugar, and about 6weight percent antioxidant, calculated on a dry basis.
 19. The processof claim 1 wherein the emulsion comprises total solids from theencapsulating mixture and total solids from the milled carotenoid-oilmixture in a maximum weight ratio of about 4-to-1.
 20. An improvedprocess for producing a dry, powder form of a carotenoidcomprising:dispersing a carotenoid in an oil to form a carotenoid-oildispersion; dissolving a starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and anantioxidant in water to form an encapsulating mixture; blending thecarotenoid-oil dispersion and the encapsulating mixture to form anemulsion; and drying the emulsion to produce a powder; the improvementcomprising: grinding the carotenoid-oil dispersion prior to forming theemulsion, whereby the subsequent drying step encases the groundcarotenoid-oil dispersion in the encapsulating mixture.
 21. The processof claim 20 wherein said grinding step includes grinding the dispersionto produce carotenoid particles with an average diameter of less thanabout one micron.